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"The reason I went to that event was that she wanted me to go, so she could be on the red carpet with me and prove to herself she wasn’t being defeated by this terrible disease," she told Mail Online .

Insisting her appearance was the last thing on her mind, Renee said her first thought that day was for her friend.

The star also insisted she's never been afraid of ageing.

"I think a woman only gets more interesting as she gets older. Youth and superficial beauty have their place and that is, understandably, celebrated to a degree. But that’s so fleeting and it’s only for a moment in your life," she added.

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Renee Zellweger responded to her critics

Renee Zellweger looks very different now (Image: Getty)

"As you mature, you’re not just getting older, you’re becoming more of who you are supposed to be, and becoming the best version of yourself, better and more interesting. It’s a more powerful beauty and it’s a more valuable beauty. Besides - I don’t want to stay the same! I’m curious about what comes next!"

But while Renee changed her appearance for the first two Bridget films, to fit with her ditsy character, she admitted there are a LOT of similarities between her much loved character and the real her.

Explaining that she is "always" like Bridget, Renee even said she feels awkward "all the time", and hinted at one real life incident when her shoe fell apart at the Oscars - forcing her to tape it back together before presenting an award. Typical Bridget moment.

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Renee on the set of the new film (Image: FameFlynet)

Speaking about her love triangle on the new Bridget Jones, Renee said her two men (Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey) come along at a time when Bridget finally sees she can be OK on her own.

And elsewhere, she has addressed her reasons for returning to acting after six years out of the limelight, explaining she needed time out to spend time with her family away from the "cycle" of making films.

But she admitted she initially found the return "scary", revealing her main worry was disappointing her fans - as Bridget is such a loved character.